Corrosion-induced CoCu microwire arrays for efficient electroreduction of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural

The intersection of corrosion engineering for constructing high-performance electrocatalysts and the efficient upgrading of biomass represents two vibrant, sustainable research themes that promise exciting outcomes when combined. In this study, we achieve the highly selective hydrogenation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)furan (BHMF) over corrosion-induced CoCu microwire arrays on copper foam (CoCuMW/CF). An HMF conversion of 95.7% and a BHMF yield of 85.4% can be achieved in the electrochemical process. Mechanistic investigations indicate that the reaction pathway is primarily governed by the Langmuir-Hinshelwood (L-H) mechanism. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the CoCu interface exhibits lower free energy barriers for the hydrogenation steps of HMF, which significantly enhances the catalytic performance and BHMF selectivity. The induction of corrosion enhances the electrochemical hydrogenation performance of the copper-based electrocatalyst, which holds significant value in reducing catalyst costs and accelerating the application of HMF electrohydrogenation.